


Slime and Secrets

by Holtzmann1998



Category: Ghostbusters: Answer The Call, ghostbusters 2016
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-10
Updated: 2018-01-10
Packaged: 2019-03-03 00:28:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,210
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13329645
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Holtzmann1998/pseuds/Holtzmann1998
Summary: Holtzmann wants to tell the gang that she and Erin are dating. Erin doesn't. Holtzmann decides to let a ghost run lose in New York and it's up to the girls to get him back.





	Slime and Secrets

**Author's Note:**

> This was something I wrote over summer a writing contest I unfortunately didn't win. I decided to go through and rewrite some of it and post it for you guys to read.

Erin sits peacefully at her desk, working on some equations for a problem she and Abby have been trying to solve for a few months, when Abby quickly walks up the stairs. Her hair is in a tight bun and her long cardigan is wrapped around her. She stops at Erin’s desk and leaves over it, giving Erin an excited look.  
“Erin, you should totally date Holtz.” Abby says to her like she does every morning just before Holtzmann walks up the stairs with her usual yellow glasses hanging off her face by her ear, a can of Pringles in one hand, and her phone held gently between her teeth despite her free hand.  
“Abby, you’ve been telling me to date Jillian for the last five years. Give it a rest.” Erin smiles slightly. The thought of Dr. Jillian Holtzmann causes a slight blush to form on Erin’s face as she takes a sip from the coffee mug on her desk. Like clockwork, Holtzmann tiredly walks up the stairs wearing a green crop top and her jumpsuit, the arms of the tan suit tied around her wait.  
“He, Ern, he, Aee.” Holtzmann says sleepily, trying to talk and not drop her phone. Not that she hasn’t probably already dropped it at least twice since entering the firehouse.  
“Where have you been? It’s two o’clock!” Erin asks the blonde woman as she trudges to her workbench. She places her phone on the metal table without using her hands and sets the can of Pringles down.  
“Sleeping.” She shrugs as she adjusts her glasses so she can actually see out of them. A smile spreads across her face as her boom box catches her eye.   
“How is that containment unit going for the ghost you caught?” Abby asks.  
“Oh, that, it’s going.” She shrugs, not giving any details. “Kevin named it Kevin Junior, but I think Slimer would have been better.” She hits a button and DeBarge blares through the second floor of the firehouse. “Time to work!” She winks to Erin as she slides behind her workbench and pulls out a pile of metal and wires. She trades her glasses for a pair of yellow lensed goggles and picks up a screwdriver before Abby can press her further. Giving up, Abby walks to her desk, sits down, and opens her laptop.  
“Jillian, turn that down.” Erin says to Holtzmann, who obeys while rolling her eyes and mocking Erin.  
“Jillian, turn that down. That’s enough, Jillian. Oh, Jillybean, that feels so good.” Holtz imitates Erin. Erin gives her a threatening look as her face turns bright red. She didn’t want to tell anyone about her and Jillian dating just yet. She glances at Abby, who doesn’t seem to notice Holtzmann being herself. After years of working with Holtzmann, Abby has learned to tune out the crazy and noisy blonde.  
“That’s enough, Holtzmann.” Erin hisses. The blonde gives her a flirty wink as Patty walks up the stairs in a denim jacket, yellow blouse, and jeans. She has a bag of popcorn covered in something green in her hands.  
“Okay, we gotta get a new microwave.” Patty sighs as she holds out the popcorn for the others to see.  
“What is that?” Abby asks as the bag is brought to her desk. Erin and Holtzmann walk over to get a better look.  
“Heh, Erin can tell ya what it is.” Holtzmann smirks as she gives the thin woman a wink.  
“Why is there ectoplasm in the microwave?” Erin asks. Everyone turns their attention to Holtzmann.  
“Kevin Junior made me mad!” The scientist defends herself as she crosses her arms against her chest and pouts.  
“So you put him in the microwave?” Patty asks slowly.  
“Yeah. I wanted to see him suffer.” Holtzmann smirks deviously.  
“And how did that go?” Abby asks.  
“He escaped. In retrospect, I forgot that he can go through things.” She shrugs.  
“So there’s a ghost loose in New York?”  
“He’s harmless.”  
“Not the point!” Abby says. “Go get your gear; we have a ghost to catch.” She commands the girls.  
“Hey, Abby, can I talk to you for a second?” Patty says to the dark-haired woman as Erin rushes down the stairs and Holtzmann slides down the fire pole.   
“What’s up, Patty?” Abby replies as she shuts her laptop and stands up.  
“I think we ought to get Holtzy and Erin together.” Patty says quietly. A small smile appears on Abby’s face.  
“I’ve been trying for the last five years. They’re not getting any younger and Erin is so oblivious to Holtz and Holtz is just Holtz. They’ll never figure it out without some help.”  
“What do you think we should do?”  
“We’ll think of something.” Abby winks.  
“Are you two coming?” Holtzmann yells from downstairs as she leans on the horn of the Ecto-1.  
“Yeah, we’re coming, baby!” Patty calls. Abby puts her laptop in a drawer and heads down the stairs with Patty. Erin and Holtzmann are loading the Ecto-1 with equipment as the other two women get on their uniforms.  
“Holtzmann, do not blow this ghost up. We need it for the containment unit and I don’t want to try to find another one as harmless as that one.” Abby says as she zips up her uniform.  
“Yeah, yeah, yeah.” The blonde smirks.  
“I mean it!” Abby points a finger at Holtz. Without hesitation, the woman licks Abby’s finger. Abby gives her a flat look as she rubs her hand on her jumpsuit and puts her gloves on.  
“That wasn’t necessary.” Erin says, matching Abby’s look.  
“I do a lot of things that aren’t necessary. That’s why I’m a genius.”  
“That’s also why you almost drilled a hole in your hand.” Patty replies as she puts the last of the equipment in the back of the Ecto-1.  
“I had plans for the hole. It was going to be an awesome bottle opener with a built in ghost locator!” She pauses. “Speaking of a ghost locator, I happened to put a prototype in our escaped….friend.” Holtzmann mumbles. She walks over to her locker and pulls out a contraption made from a TV remote, a handheld video game, and Erin’s ‘lost’ cellphone.  
“Is that my phone?” Erin asks flatly.  
“Not anymore.” Abby mumbles as Patty holds back a laugh. Holtzmann turns on her device and watches it power on. There’s silence as everyone waits to see what the contraption will do. Once it powers on, Holtzmann taps the screen a few times and it soon emits a soft beeping noise.  
“I’ll drive.” A grin spreads across the scientist’s face.  
“Where is our friend at?” Abby asks.  
“A food stand.” Holtz says flatly as she shows the screen to the other women. “And he’s on the move.”  
“Patty and I will take the hearse and you and Erin take the bike. We’ll try to corner him at the old warehouse on Sixth Street.” Abby says. Holtzmann smiles and nods as she pulls the keys to the Ecto-2 out of her pocket.  
“Is that safe?” Erin asks nervously as she grabs a helmet off Kevin’s desk.  
“I built it, so probably not. But I also built the Ecto-1 and no one has died in it. Yet.” Holtz shrugs as she walks over to the motorcycle on the other side of the room. She jumps on it and starts the engine. “Let’s go, baby!” She winks. Erin’s face turns a nice shade of red as she puts the helmet on. She secures it on her head and climbs onto the bike behind Holtzmann. She holds on tightly to the blonde’s waist as she revs the engine.  
“Holtzy, helmet.” Patty calls to her as she tosses the blonde a helmet. The woman reluctantly straps it to her head. “Don’t forget about the radio! call us if you get into trouble.” Holtzmann hits the button on her helmet.  
“Ecto-2 to Ecto-1, come in Ecto-1.” Holtzmann says with a grin. “I am in trouble. Repeat, I am in trouble. I let a harmless slime ball of a ghost run loose in New York for almost a whole day!”  
“That’s not cute.” Patty says flatly as she walks away.  
“We’ll see you there. Be careful!” Abby says to Holtzmann and Erin as she and Patty climb into the Ecto-1.  
“Careful is my middle name!” Holtzmann winks before doing a wheelie out of the firehouse. Erin lets out a frightened yelp as she tightens her grip on Holtzmann’s waist.  
“Stop! It’s not funny!” She yells, trying to hide her fear. Holtzmann brings the Ecto-2 back down.  
“I thought it was fun.” Holtzmann says over the roar of the engine as she speeds around a corner, nearly clipping a car in the process.  
“Jillian, we need to talk.”  
“Right now?”  
“Yes, while we’re alone.” Erin is silent for a moment.  
“When are we going to tell Abby and Patty about us?” Holtzmann blurts out. Erin’s face flushes.  
“That’s what I wanted to talk about, too.”  
“Well?”  
“I-I don’t know. It’s not a good time.”  
“Erin, you’ve been saying that for the last four and a half years. I don’t want to be your girlfriend only when it’s convenient for you. I know I’m not a patient person, but I think I’ve been patient long enough.” Erin is silent.  
“It’s just not the right time.” Erin sighs after a pregnant silence. “I don’t know when it will be, but I’m just not ready to tell them.” Her words sting Holtzmann. Holtzmann hits a button on her helmet.  
“Ecto-2 to Ecto-1, come in Ecto-1.” She says, trying to block out the pain and focus on the task at hand.  
“What’s up Holtzmann?” Abby’s voice comes across Holtzmann’s helmet.  
“We’re closing in on the target. Where are you?”  
“Two blocks away from him. We’re going to try to scare him into the warehouse.”  
“Got it.” Holtzmann says confidently. Erin feels her confidence deflate as she replays Holtzmann’s words in her head.  
“I see him!” Patty yells, causing Holtzmann to cringe at the loud noise something through her helmet.  
“We see him, too.” Holtzmann replies as her eyes spot a glowing green blob of a ghost eating the contents of a hot dog cart.  
“Ew.” Erin mumbles.  
“Holtzmann, make sure you take the keys out of the Ecto-2. We don’t want it being stolen by a ghost like the Ecto-1.” Abby says.  
“You leave the keys in the car one time and you never hear the end of it.” The blonde mumbles. She reaches into her pocket and pulls out a metal rod.  
“Focus, Holtz. We gotta try to capture him before he makes a mess.”  
“He’s a living mess! You should see what he did to my Pringles stash!” Holtzmann says she drives up to the green ghost. “Hello, Kevin Junior. Long time no see.” She winks. The green, floating ghost looks at her, yells, and tries to fly in the opposite direction, only to be met with the Ecto-1.  
“Kevin Junior, it’s time to go back home!” Abby yells to it. It screeches and turns around, flying past Erin and Holtzmann.  
“He’s getting away! Time to test out my new net.” Holtzmann smiles excitedly. She flips a switch on the metal rod in her hand and it lights up, forming an ecto-net. “Hold on tight, baby. It’s going to be a rough ride.” She smirks as she revs the engine and does a wheelie after Kevin Junior.  
“Jillian, this isn’t safe!” Erin yells as she hugs her girlfriend tightly and buries her face in her back.  
“Holtz, be careful!” Abby yells through the radio.  
“I got this. He won’t get away with this!” Holtzmann speeds up, only inches away from Kevin Junior. In one quick motion, she scoops it up in the net. The net automatically closes itself, preventing it from escaping.  
“Jillian, look out!” Erin yells. Holtzmann slams her foot on the break and misses a dumpster by mere inches as Erin screams in fright. She loses control of the Ecto-2 and she, Kevin Junior, and Erin are thrown off the bike. Holtzmann jumps up and picks up the net.  
“You okay?” She asks Erin, who is curled in a ball on the sidewalk. She doesn’t answer. “Erin?” Holtzmann asks. “Come on, this isn’t funny.” She walks towards the woman and crouches down beside her. “E-Erin?” Holtzmann shakes her gently, but Erin doesn’t respond. “Erin, come on, wake up.” Holtzmann’s hands begin to shake and her voice begins to crack with panic. “E-Erin, p-please.” Holtzmann begs.  
“I told you to be careful.” Erin mumbles flatly, a small smile forming on her lips.  
“God, that is so not funny!” Holtzmann says as she jumps up.  
“Neither is your driving.” Erin replies as Holtzmann helps her up.   
“Are you two okay?” Abby asks over the radio.  
“Yeah, we’re good.” Holtzmann breaths, giving Erin a glare. “I got Kevin Junior.”  
“In one piece or as goo?”  
“He’s fine. Angry, but fine.” She notices he’s dripping slime, but that’s what he does. She always thought Slimer would have been a more appropriate name for the creature, but Kevin was adamant upon naming him Kevin Junior.  
“Okay, we’ll meet you two back at the firehouse.”  
“Gotcha. Ecto-2 out.” Holtzmann says before turning off the radio. She retrieves the Ecto-2 from the ground and hops back on it. Erin sits behind her. She holds onto the net with one hand and steers with the other. Despite her scare, Holtzmann drives as fast and reckless as ever.   
“Holtzmann, I’m getting slimed!” Erin complains. Holtzmann glances behind her to see Kevin Junior’s slime is flying off onto Erin’s face and jumpsuit.  
“Sorry, can’t help it.” The blonde stifles a smile, knowing she could easily adjust her grip on the net, but choosing not to.  
“I’m sorry about us.” Erin says as she leans into Holtzmann’s back and rests her head in-between her shoulder blades. Holtzmann doesn’t respond. “I’m just not ready yet. I get looked down on enough with the whole Ghost Girl thing in school and then everyone thinking we were crazy and just everyone telling us how stupid we are to do this. I’m just afraid of giving them more ammo.”  
“We aren’t ammo. We’re a shield from the ammo.” Holtzmann says wisely. “No matter what everyone else tells you, you know the truth and so do Abby and Patty and I. As long as the people who matter know the truth, who cares what everyone else thinks?” She sighs. “Erin, people are going to bash on what you do for the rest of your life. You can’t let those people decide what you do. This isn’t their life, it’s yours.” Erin is too stunned to speak. Holtzmann is hardly ever so down to earth and aware. “Let’s see how fast this baby can go.” She winks, ruining the moment with another wheelie. “Wahoo!”  
“Jillian, slow down!” Erin can be heard yelling all the way back to the firehouse. As she and Holtzmann jump off the Ecto-2, the Ecto-1 pulls into the firehouse and Patty and Abby slowly climb out. Holtzmann and Erin share uncomfortable stares before Holtzmann walks away to put Kevin Junior in a ghost trap.   
“I’m going to go clean the microwave.” Patty sighs as she takes off her uniform.  
“Good luck.” Abby smiles as she takes off her uniform.   
“I’m going to go talk to Holtz.” Erin says quietly. Still covered in slime, Erin follows Holtzmann.  
“You’re a bad boy, Kevin Junior!” Holtzmann scolds the green ghost.   
“You did try to microwave him.” Erin defends the creature. Holtzmann gives her a surprised look, unaware that she had been followed.  
“Because he ate all my Pringles.” She glares at the blob. “Why aren’t you getting the slime off yourself?”  
“I wanted to talk.” Erin mumbles nervously. Holtzmann sets the ecto-net down and looks at her, ignoring Kevin Junior’s angry grunts.  
“I know. You don’t want to tell them.” Holtzmann sighs as she places her hands on Erin’s slime covered shoulders. Erin looks into Holtzmann’s blue eyes and wraps her arms around her neck, bringing her into a long, silent kiss.   
“I want us to tell them together. If you think they’re ready to hear it, we should tell them.” Erin whispers when she pulls away from Holtzmann. A small smile forms on Holtzmann’s lips.  
“Hey, Holtz, do you have that thing in a trap yet?” Abby calls as she walks up the stairs. Erin quickly walks into the bathroom to clean the slime off of her skin and clean the goo out of her uniform.   
“Almost!” Holtz grins. “I kinda want to poke him.”  
“Poke him after you get the containment unit built.” Holtzmann rolls her eyes as she quickly gets Kevin Junior into a ghost trap and gets to work. For a few hours, the firehouse is silent, except for DeBarge blaring through the second story.  
“Okay, that’s done.” Patty says hours later as she walks up the stairs.  
“Was it that bad?” Abby asks, looking at her watch.  
“Oh yeah.” Patty collapses into a chair by Abby’s desk. She looks around the second floor and notices Holtzmann’s workbench is unoccupied. “Oh no. Where’s Holtzy?” As if on cue, Holtzmann bounds up the stairs with a bag of marshmallows in her hands and her cheeks stuffed full of them.  
“Where were you?” Abby asks, realizing that Holtzmann had temporarily disappeared.  
“The kitchen.”  
“Please tell me you didn’t use the microwave.” Patty sighs.  
“Uh, I didn’t use the microwave.” Holtzmann repeats with a small grin. Patty gives her an evil looks and goes downstairs. There’s silence as Erin finally comes out of the bathroom free of slime. She sits at her desk as she picks lint off her black turtleneck.  
“Why the hell is there marshmallow in the damn microwave?” Patty can be heard yelling from the kitchen below them. Abby and Erin look at Holtzmann, who pops a marshmallow into her mouth. Patty runs up the stairs in anger. “You’re cleaning the damn microwave. I already did it once today and I’m not doing it again!”  
“What possessed you to do that?” Erin asks.  
“I wanted to see how big they’d get.” She winks as she pops another marshmallow into her mouth.  
“That wasn’t funny on our first date and it isn’t funny now.” Erin rolls her eyes. She quickly covers her mouth, but it’s too late.  
“Aww, I thought we were telling them together!” Holtzmann laughs through the marshmallow in her mouth.  
“Wait, so you’re dating? Why didn’t either of you tell me?” Abby whines.  
“I wanted to tell you four and a half years ago, but Erin didn’t think the time was right.”  
“Four and a half years? You’ve let me beg you to date Holtzmann every day for the last four and a half years when you two were already dating?” Abby’s voice begins to get louder. “What was your first date like? Where did you two go? You didn’t go to the ghost museum without me, did you?”  
“Are we just not concerned about the microwave anymore?” Patty asks.  
“Apparently not.” Holtzmann shrugs as Abby continues to press them with questions.  
“I’m happy for you two.” Patty smiles. “But, Holtzmann, you’re still cleaning the microwave."


End file.
